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Diabetes in India

Published: 23rd Mar, 2024

Context

India accounts for 17% of all diabetes patients in the world. To combat this huge percentage of non-communicable disease burden requires prevention and early detection. One of the most commonly-used tests to diagnose pre-diabetes and diabetes, is the haemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) test.

About

About haemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) test

  • Sugar enters bloodstream from the food. The sugar, or glucose, attaches to the haemoglobin in red blood cells.
  • Haemoglobin is a protein that transports oxygen to all the cells of the body.
  • Everybody has some sugar attached to their haemoglobin. Those with pre-diabetes and diabetes, however, have more.
  • The HbA1C test measures the percentage of red blood cells that have sugar-coated, or glycated, haemoglobin.

Data Box:

  • India is estimated to have 10.13 crore people with diabetes, and another 13.6 crore people who are pre-diabetic.
  • This apart, over 35% of Indians suffer from hypertension and nearly 40% from abdominal obesity, both of which are risk factors for diabetes.

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